Annette Harvey said: "Yes, if it was my child I would not mind it a bit. I would not concentrate so much on the question, but concentrate on the answers.

"The poem is really beautiful; the child is questioning not only her colour but her existence. Our children are going to come up against these very same things, maybe they should print this and tape it to every fridge in every home, to remind us that God does not make dirt, or anything worthless, we are all wonderful in our own way.

"If we faced these topics head-on more often there would be a better understanding and appreciation of not only our differences and the things we have in common."

Jeffery Tyrell wrote: "It sounds to me that this woman needs a real history lesson herself. This is the problem for a lot of people in Bermuda. All of this animosity toward the truth comes from ignorance. If this woman cannot see this poem and understand what it is teaching and why it is necessary to teach it, then she needs to learn a lot about our (hers and mine) history.

"And also, what would she say if the teacher taught the full story of Martin Luther King, not just that he said, "I have a dream", but the rest of the speech. It was his core message that made him one of the most hated people in America at the time. To follow Martin Luther King was to go against the grain and resulted in many being ostracised just for believing in that dream.

"Also, I have to wonder how far we have really come in Bermuda, particularly in comparison to America when it comes to race. It amazes me that this lady gets a front-page story — DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH -complaining about students being too young to learn about self pride!

"Up until this election, I thought America was a racist country, but damn! And I am not referring to the bogus reference to black people speaking the truth about the past being called racists. It is funny that during the run-up to the election, we were called racist and being accused of holding back progress for talking about our past, yet I find it is people like this, who refuse to learn their true past, who are in denial and are therefore holding us back!

"If the white majority had initially thought that we were human beings and that ALL human beings are beautiful, from the get-go, this poem wouldn't exist."

Michael Pitts, who lives in Florida, wrote: "As a white person, having never walked in the shoes of a Black person, I do not find the poem offensive! It is possible if I were a Black person, adult or child at a time of self doubt, at a time of feelings being hurt, at a time when my blackness caused me to question my very worth. I might ask God the same questions!

"The answer from God would give me a new feeling of self worth and love for myself. I believe the poet was attempting to instill the feeling that God Loves me and my Blackness and that I am worthy of his Love and the Love of my fellow human beings."

Akilah Beckles wrote: "I do not think anybody has the right to say what is or is not offensive to another, but I think we can all discuss how the poem is not anti-white, and how being 'pro-black' does not equate with being 'anti-white'. The poem does not mention anything about white people at all, let alone about the group being lesser than black people, so that point barely needs to be addressed.

"What does need to be addressed is Amba Smith's point that this material should not be taught to students aged that young. I disagree. Why should people wait until they are adults to learn about how our society (most Western settler societies) is not very accommodating to non-white conceptions of beauty? Why should her daughter not be educated about the prejudicial forces in society? I found it enlightening that her daughter was upset and rightly so. Hopefully this means that her daughter will refuse to give in to the racist hatred that enforces and encourages feelings of inferiority among some black people, and, if she racializes herself as white, will not be one to act in a way such as to encourage blacks to internalise the racism that is sometimes extended towards them and other people of colour.

"I encourage Amba Smith, and her daughter (if she's thought of as not considered too young) to watch the documentary 'A Girl Like Me' to understand why poems such as 'Why am I black' to be written, and why pro-black is not about being anti-white. Empowering and uplifting yourself or your people does not mean that you are bringing anyone else down. Unless of course Mrs. Smith is interested in sustaining the status quo — that which brought her innocent daughter to tears."

Lori Viera wrote: "I absolutely love the poem 'Why Am I Black?'. It brings tears to my eyes every time I read it, and I see no reason why it can't be introduced to eight-year-olds. This is the ideal age to start instilling a sense of self-worth, confidence and pride in black children and to reinforce to them that 'black is beautiful' and nothing to be ashamed of. "The poem clearly reflects that, is simply but beautifully written, and any eight-year-old should be able to comprehend the words. Waiting until high school or college to instill these beliefs is way too late!

"We only have to look around at what is going on in our community to see how self-hatred of one's 'blackness' manifests into lashing out and hurting other blacks. Positive self-image has to be taught early! It is my opinion that the school did nothing wrong-I support them.

Lisa Lambert wrote: "When I think back to how I felt about myself at that age, I believe that had I been exposed to the poem at that time, it could've made a difference in how I felt about myself. While times have certainly changed since I was a child (in the 70s), there is still a lot of information/ perceptions out there which can lead to a black child having negative feelings of self worth. In fact, I believe that by the time most children have reached the age of eight, they already have a well established sense of self-worth, whether good or bad.

"Probably more than any other race, black people have been subjected to negative attitudes based on our colour, features, hair, etc. Even among black people themselves, there're still negative attitudes toward each other based on these traits. As a result, many of our children need to be presented with positive images or metaphors that are representative of their "blackness". When I first read the poem years ago, the only message I received was that all those negative connotations about "blackness" can easily be turned into something positive and inspiring. Certainly not that I was better than anyone else who isn't black!

"Has there really ever been a time when a white child suffered feelings of self worth based on society's perception of their skin colour, features or hair texture? Even today, when a black man is running for President of the United States, a black child is still bombarded with images of the beauty and perfection of "whiteness". Our grandparents, and even some of our parents are still judging their own family members based on complexion.

"Unlike Mrs. Smith, I am a (dark) browned skinned black woman. Like her, my daughters are bi-racial, with a blond haired German father. When they were younger, I felt it was important for them to acknowledge their own beauty, while appreciating the beauty of others whether darker or lighter than them. Yes, it's very important for them to appreciate both sides of their heritage (which they do), but it could've been so easy for them to want to identify primarily with their German side.

"So I feel the challenge is not, should we expose this poem to eight-year-olds, but rather, how can it be done so that children of other races/ethnic groups can also see it as a positive expression of blackness, while still being able to appreciate their own beauty and self-worth. For are we not all beautiful reflections of God?"

Malikah Sheeheed wrote: "I cannot believe how some of us are so closed-minded to this issue. I read the entire article, including the poem and I didn't get the same impression as the parents who found it offensive nor did not get the feeling that black people are superior to anyone.

"I did, however, get the impression that Black people should feel PROUD. PROUD of the skin that they are in (like the Lubriderm commercial). This poem taught me that ultimately it is not what others in this world think about our Black skin, it is how GOD looks at us. This poem is INSPIRATIONAL.

"Black History Month is not just about learning about the Freedom Fighters, it is also about learning how to be PROUD of who you are and were you come from. As a Black woman reading this poem made me PROUD. PROUD of all of my assets. This is the kind of reading that these kids need to hear and will remember for the rest of their lives (and that is not a bad thing).

"To East End Primary's principal and teachers — I believe that you should have gotten the parents permission before teaching young children this poem because (1) many parents may feel like it will be too much for them to explain to their kids, mainly because they don't feel proud themselves, (2) you will always have those parents who, will because they can, make a fuss about any and everything and (3) some just would rather not touch the topic and stay as far away from it as possible. But, on the flip side, it was a WONDERFUL choice for making OUR children PROUD.

"P.S. I have never read this poem before but I photocopied it and I plan to read it to my six-year-old son and ten-year-old daughter. We teach them that they are beautiful inside and out — this poem will help to enforce this."